Table



(N0-Model.) a sheets-sheet 1.

J. W. CARVER.

TABLE.

Patented Sept. 18,1894.

(Nomodemf Y s sheets-sheet 2j J. W. CARVER.

TABLE.

V1w526,144. Patented. sept. 18,1894.

(No Moden) "3 sheets- Sheet 3j J. W. CARVER.

e TABLEt N0. 526,144. Patented Sept. 18, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

JAMES W. CARVER, OF AUBURN, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, AND ALFRED L.

CHILDS,V OF CANTON, MAINE.`

TABLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 526,144, datedSeptember 18, 1894.

Application filed November 2l, 1893. Serial No. 491,604. (No model.) b

To all whom it may concern/ Be it known that I, JAMES W. CARVER, acitizen of the United States, residingat Au burn, in the county ofAAndroscoggin and State of Maine, haveinvented certain new and usefulImprovements in Tables, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. l

My invention has for its object to provide an improved table, and itconsists in a table having a case capable of being raised `and loweredrelatively tothe top thereof, and pro# vided with suitable operating imechanism, whereby the raising and lowering of the said case may bereadily effected, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

The novel features of my invention are pointed out in the claims whichare appended hereto.

I have shown my invention in the best form now known to me in theaccompanying drawings .to which reference is made in the followingdescription, and in which- Figure l is a perspective of a tableembodying my invention, and showing the movable casein its raisedposition. Fig. 2 is a View of the table in vertical transverse sectionshowing the movable case and adjacent portions of the table, and alsothe mechanism for raising the movable case and for supporting it in itsraised position. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the table viewed from below.Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are views showing details of the said operatingmechanism.

My improvement may be applied to tables of various forms and styles, aswill be obvious. The table shown in Fig. l to which my invention isapplied, is of comparatively small size, such as might be employed for acard table or the like, but the size or style of the table is obviouslyimmaterial. shown at l, and the legs or supports at 2. The centralspacebetween the legs and underneath the top is preferably cased up asshown at 3, and forms a well or receiver within which the case 4 iscontained when the latter is in its lowest position. The case 4 lnay beprovided with shelves, pigeon holes, drawers, or the like as may bedesired, and is divided by one or more horizontal partitions 41, 4l intotwo or more vertical divisions, as shown. If

The top is desired at one side thereof the said case may have .a desk ortablet 5 lpreferably pivoted near its lower end between the uprights ofthe case 4 and adapted when the said case is `lowest position ispreferably flush with the` top l of the table, it occupyingr a positioncentrally thereof so that when the case is in this vposition the 'tablepresents a smooth unbroken top and may be used for all the purposes ofan ordinary table.

The movable case 4, as previously stated,

may be sub-divided as desired, providing compartments for cards, writingmaterials,

and the like, which when not in use may be securely kept in the case 4,and within the receiver of well 3. W'hen it is desired to reach thecontents of the case'4, the said case may be readily raised partially orwholly out of the well or receiver 3, or, if no inclosed well orreceiver be employed, above the level of the top l of the table. Themechanism provided for thus raising the case 4, supporting it in itsraised position and lowering it is as follows: I provide a tube `6 whichis placed vertically and preferably centrally in the movable case 4. Thetube is rigidly secured in place and extends from top to bottom of thecase 4, the lower end of the tube being open. Within the tube 6 is atube or rack piece 7, see Fig. 5, of lesser diameter than the tube 6 in'order that it may slide freely within thesame. Within the tube 7 is arod 8, Fig. 6, which at its upper end is connected by means of a pivotto the lever 9 which is pivoted asshown at l0 between lugs on the underside of the top 11 of the movable case 4. The lever 9 is also pivotedltoone end of the operating lever 12, see Fig. 4, which is also pivotedbetween lugs on the under side of the top 1l, as shown at 13. The freeend of a pin 14 Fig. 6, which engages a slot in the end of an arm 15which is rigidly set on a rod or rock-shaft 16 which extends across thebottom of the movable case 4, as shown in Fig. 3. The rock-shaft 16 isprovided at each end with a lever 17 which extends on opposite sides ofthe shaft and to each end of which is pivoted a connecting-rod 18,l theother end of which is pivoted to a sliding bolt or locking pin 19.` Thebolts 19 slide in holes or sockets formed in the lower ends of thenpright frame pieces of the movable case 4. The engaging ends of thesaid bolts 19 are preferably beveled, as shown, and engage notches 2Ocut in the sides of the well orl receiver 3 as will be clear from Fig.2. By this means when the said locking bolts 19 are each in engagementwith a notch 2O the case 4 is securely supported and held in a givenposition, and by providing notches at different heights in the sides ofthe well or receiver the case 4 may be supported and held at any desiredheight relatively to the top of the table.

Since the engaging ends of the bolts 19 are beveled and engagecorrespondingly shaped notches the case 4 may be raised withoutwithdrawing the said bolts, the latter being simply forced back as theirbeveled. ends slide on the corresponding bevels ofV the notches. Tolower the case 4, however, the bolts 19 must, as will be obvious beindependently withdrawn and for this purpose the-levers 9 and 12 whichhave been previously described are provided. By pressing upwardly thefree end of lever 12, the rod 8 is raised, raising the lever arm 15,rocking the shaft 16, and withdrawing the bolts 19 from the notches withwhich they are in engagement. When this is done, the case 4 is free tobe lowered into the well or receiver 3.

For the purpose of raising the case 4 the vertically sliding inner tube7 shown separately in Fig. 7 is provided. The lower end of the tube 7 ispivoted to a connecting-rod 21 which is pivoted to a lever 22. The lever22 is pivoted between lugs extending downwarly from a stationary part ofthe table and its free end is so formed as to adapt it to be operated bythe foot of a person using the table.

The tube or rack-piece 7 is slotted lengthwise almost from end to endthereof to accommodate the arm 15 heretofore described, which engages apin on the rod 8, which is placed inside the said tube 7. The tube7 isprovided with a number of notches 23 preferably three or more in numberwhich engage a spring impelled sliding bolt or dog 24 which is mountedin a socket or bearing 25,

secured to the bottom of the movable case 4..

The socket 25 is so formed as to accommodate a spiral spring 26 whichencircles the shank of the bolt 24, and which tends to forcev the boltoutwardly into contact with the tube or rack-piece 7. The rear end ofthe bolt 24 -is next above the lowest series.

The bell-crank-lever 27 is pivoted to an arm 28 which projectsdownwardly from the y socket 25. The longer arm of the bell-crank lever27 is off-set slightly, as shown in Fig. 4, and is provided with a pin29 which engages a slot in the end of an arm 30 which is fast on therock-shaft 16 so that when the rock-shaft v 16 is turned, the arm 30will be raised moving the bell-crank lever 27 and withdrawing the bolt24 against the tension of spring 26 from contact with the tube 7. Theengaging end of the bolt 24 is beveled and the notches 23 in the tube 7are correspondingly beveled so that the tube 7 may be lowered without itbeing necessary first to retract the bolt 24 by. hand. If now the case 4be in its raised position, as shown in Fig. 1, the case may be loweredby pressing the free endV of the lever 12 which causes the rod 8 toberaised slightly thus turning the rock-shaft 16, raising the arm 30,moving thebell-crank lever and withdrawing the bolt 24 while at the sametime the connections 18 and bolts 19 are also withdrawn. The case 4maythen be lowered into the receiver or well 3.

If it be desired to raise the case 4 the user of the table depresses thefoot lever 22, the

parts being in the position shown in Fig. 2,

and forces the case upwardly until the bolts 19 are opposite the seriesof notches 2O which By removing the foot from the lever 22 the inner endof the lever falls downwardly carrying with it the tube 7 until the bolt24 is opposite one of the-notches 23 which is intermediate the length ofsaid tube. The bolt 24 will then snap into engagement with said notchand if the foot lever 22 be again depressed the case 4 will again bemoved upwardly. By varying the size of the operating parts, or of thecase, the number of movements of the foot-lever 22 necessary tocompletely raise the case may be varied. Vhen the case is of relativelylarge size two or three movements of the foot lever will ordinarily besufficient to raise the case to its highest position.

In order that the bolt 24 may not be retracted when the case is liftedand the bolts 19 are forced backward into the holes or sockets in whichthey are situated, in consequence of the action of their beveled outerends against the corresponding bevels of the notches which they enter,theslot in the 'rear end of the said bolt 24 is made long enough topermit suflicient play of the pivot which connects said bolt to thebell-crank 27. rIhis slot is short enough, however, to enable the boltto be retracted by hand when desired in consequence of movement impartedto the levery12 and transmitted to the bell-crank 27 throughl theconnections which' have been described already.

is slotted and is connected with theupwardly The spiral spring 26 Whichencircles the shank of the bolt 24 not only serves to impel the bolttoward the tube or rack piece 7 and into engagement with the notchestherein, but it also serves while operating the bolt 2li to depressthelong arm of the bell-crank le! ver 27 and thus to turn the rock-shaft16 and to force the sliding bolt 19 into contact with the notches in thesides of the` case 3 with which said bolts 19 engage.

What I claim is- 1. A table having a case movable vertically through thetop thereof, a dog connected therewith, a vertically movable rack-pieceadapted to engage withthe said dog and means for moving said rack-piecewhereby the said case may be raised to theidesired height, substantiallyas set forth. i

2. A table having a case movable vertically through the top thereof, adog connected therewith, a vertically movable rack-piece adapted .toengage with the said dog and a lever con- 4,. A table having a casevertically movable through the top thereof, a rock-shaft mounted on thesaid case, bolts connected with the levers on the said :rock-shaft andacting to hold the case at the desired height, and a spring acting toproduce the engagement of the said bolts, substantially as described.

5. A table having a case vertically movable through the top thereof, arock-shaft mounted on the said case,bolts connected with the levers onthe said rock shaft and acting to hold the case at the desired heightanda spring acting to produce engagement of the said bolts, and disengagingdevices also carried by the said case whereby the said bolts may beretracted to release the case and permit its descent, substantially asset forth. I

6. A table having a casemovable vertically as described, a dog connectedwith said case, a vertically movable rack-piece adapted to engage withthe said dog, a lever connected with the said rack-piece whereby thesaid case may be raised, a rock-shaft mountedon said case, boltsconnected with `the levers of the said rock-shaft and acting `t0 holdthe case at the desired height, aconnection between the said dog and thesaid rock-shaft, a spring acting to project the said dog and bolts intoengagement, and means connected with the rochshaft for moving the saineto retract the said bolts and dogs when it is desired to lower the same,substantially as described.

7. A table liavinga case movable vertically as described, a dogconnected with said case, a vertically movable rack-piece adapted toengage with the said dog,` a lever connected with the said rack-piecewhereby the said case may be raised, a rock-shaft mounted on said case,bolts connected with the levers of the t said rock-shaft and `acting tohold the case at the desired height, a connection between the said dogand the said rock-shaft, a spring acting to project the said dog andbolts into engagement, and a finger-piece mounted on the case andconnected with the said rockshaft whereby to move thelatter and retractthe bolts and dog when it is desired to lower` the case, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in "presence of two witnesses.

JAMES W. CARVER.

Witnesses: i l

ALBERT S. PLUMMER, PATRICK F. TREMBLAY.

